Southern California -- this just in

Driver who killed pedestrian while texting banned from using car phone

August 20, 2011 | 8:04
am

A 21-year-old Tujunga woman who struck and killed an 80-year-old Glendale man with her car last year while she was texting will not be allowed to have a cellphone in her car under a plea deal worked out with prosecutors.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Patrick Hegarty ordered Ani Voskanian to serve three years formal probation, 300 hours of community service and to develop a lecture program for junior and high school students on the dangers of texting while driving, officials said.

Voskanian, who pleaded no contest to a felony manslaughter charge for killing Misak Ranjbar, will not be allowed to possess a cellphone while inside a vehicle, officials said. Her license was also revoked for three years, her attorney said.

Glendale police Det. Ashraf Mankarios, who was the lead investigator in the case, told the Glendale News-Press that Ranjbar’s son, Roger Ranjbar, also offered in court to go to the schools with Voskanian and lecture on the risk of texting while driving. Ultimately, Misak Ranjbar’s family wanted to “save one life” to highlight the consequences of texting while driving, Mankarios said.